Economic and social structure for an ageing population.
The driving force behind the improvement in the quality of life, the rising standard of living, improving health, and increasing longevity, is a process called 'technophysio evolution', which began about 300 years ago, accelerated during the twentieth century, and is still in progress. Increased spending on health care and on pensions is an appropriate concomitant of technophysio evolution, and should be welcomed. Only wasteful medical services should be restricted. The resources available now and in the future can provide increasingly long and healthy lives of relative luxury for all. However, methods of financing health care and retirement need to be modernized. In the future, luxury will be defined increasingly in terms of spiritual rather than material resources. The test of well-being in the future for both young and old will be measured increasingly in terms of the quality of health and the opportunity for self-realization.
Fogel
R W
RW
Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago, IL, USA.
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000639:trends; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy / Q000639:trends*; D008136:Longevity; D010415:Pensions; D011158:Population Growth; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D013995:Time; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology